Guildhall Registrar

The proprietor of a guildhall, a Registrar is responsible for the day-to-day running of the hall and the adminstraton of the guild itself. They manage guildhall accounts and staff, draw up rotas and menus, re-order inventory, arrange repairs, and verify prospective clients wishing to submit to the jobs desk. A Registrar is not a member of the guild they work for, but may be part of a trade union.

Career

Qualifications

There is no formal qualification for a Registrar, but the job demands certain personal skills:

• Patience
• Financal competence
• Acive communication
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Flexibility
• Empathy
• Physical endurance
• Optimism
• Professionalism

Career Progression

Registrars most often start their careers working in housekeeping or hospitality. A good Registrar understands the unique working environment of a guildhall - part public house, part restaurant, part hostel, part school, part job centre - and many start their working life within the guildhall system and work their up.
Transfers into the position tend to come from the hospitality industry, but there are Registrars who were previously employed as house staff - the guilds don't demand the same fastidious moral behaviour as Society Houses and are willing to employ those with spent criminal convictions, and larger guilds frequently offer better pay, especially for understaff.

Payment & Reimbursement

As the senior management within a guildhall, Registrars lodge within the hall itself, and the role is often described as a "three/three" postion: one that comes with a three-room flat and three meals a day. In addition to room and board, a Registrar is a salaried position, paid by guild fees. The rate of pay varies by complexity of the guildhall and the cost of living within the city, but is normally equivalent to a butler in a Society house or manager of a middle-class hotel or upmarket public house.

Perception

History

The trade-guildhall system evolved from public houses who attracted a majority clientele from a particular industry, growing to offer food and lodging, and eventually becoming a venue that prospective clients could post work. The role of the Registrar evolved likewise, from publican and bartender to the present management position.

Type

Administration / Management

Demand

All guildhalls have a Registrar